10 College Football Players with the Most 'Take It to the House' Potential

Annually, programs scour the country looking for players with the ability to turn an otherwise ordinary play into a big one—often resulting in points, or setting up a potential score. 

These players are few and far between when looking at the college football landscape. However, there are a prominent number of players with the ability to "take it to the house" at any moment. 

This piece will look at 10 players with this potential. It will exclude quarterbacks and solely look at receivers and running backs. The list of athletes will be presented in alphabetical order. 

Honorable mentions: Tyler Boyd, Travin Dural, De'Mornay Pierson-El, William Fuller, Kareem Hunt, Adoree' Jackson, Brandon Sheperd, Ryan Switzer, Laquon Treadwell, Duke Williams.

KD Cannon

KD Cannon is an absolute blur on the field. 

As a high school senior, Cannon ran 10.32 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Unsurprisingly, he's become a member of Baylor's track team. 

Cannon's freshman season was simply sensational. The Texas native caught 58 passes for 1,030 yards. In Baylor's fast-paced, frenetic offense, Cannon demonstrated the ability to make a big play routinely. He accrued reception totals of 67, 74, 81 and 89 yards last year. He also holds immense value as a kick returner.

With Baylor's propensity to throwing the football, Cannon should have another monster year in 2015.

Nick Chubb

Nick Chubb was an absolute freak last year as a true freshman—in the best possible sense of the term. 

The Georgia back—who also doubles as a human bowling ball—ran to the tune of a 7.1 yards-per-carry average. He routinely broke off big runs—including totals of 47, 55, 65, 82 and 83 yards. On the season, Chubb ran for 1,547 yards. 

He doesn't look like the type of back with the ability to take it to the house on every play. Chubb is essentially a ball of muscle, and he isn't overly tall (5'10"). However, his play truly does do the talking. 

There's no question he's one of the most dynamic players in all of college football. 

Pharoh Cooper

One of the more electric and versatile players in the SEC, Pharoh Cooper is a threat from all spots of the field. 

Steve Spurrier enjoyed utilizing his weapon in the backfield, in the slot and on the perimeter. He truly was a threat to score from anywhere. He led the Gamecocks last season with 69 receptions for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns. 

Perhaps Cooper's best two attributes are his vision and overall burst. He has an uncanny ability of finding creases and exploiting pockets of space for big gains. In 2014, Cooper had receptions of 51, 73, 78 and 85 yards. 

Now a junior, Cooper will assume the role as a premier pass-catcher in the conference. 

Josh Doctson

With the myriad weapons the vaunted TCU offense possesses, Josh Doctson stands out as an elite athlete on the perimeter.

Doctson's ball skills are perhaps unparalleled with any other receiver in the entire country. At 6'3", he's able to climb the ladder and pluck the ball out of the air like a piece of fruit.  

Although a bigger receiver, Doctson has great speed in the open field. His long strides mimic that of a horse, as he's able to gallop away from defenders.

His ability to separate from coverage—coupled with his ability to catch the jump ball—makes him a very special prospect.

Ezekiel Elliott

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Elliott hurdling over an offensive lineman.

No '"taking it to the house" list would be complete without arguably the top Heisman Trophy candidate heading into the 2015 season. 

Ezekiel Elliott is a threat to score a touchdown every time he touches the football. Not only is he elusive and dynamic in space, his strong lower half enables him to break tackles and get into the second level often. 

His big-play ability was on display in the national semifinal versus Alabama, in which he rumbled 85 yards for a touchdown. With nearly seven yards per carry in 2014, Elliott accumulated 1,878 yards on the ground.

He'll look to improve upon those impressive numbers this year as a junior. 

Rashard Higgins

Rashard Higgins is perhaps the best receiver no one is talking about. 

The Colorado State pass-catcher led the country in receiving yards (1,750) and touchdowns (17) last season. At 6'2", he excels against smaller corners. When matched up versus defenders with similar size, he's crafty and quick enough to gain separation and make plays downfield. 

Higgins averaged 18.2 yards per catch on his 96 receptions in 2014. If this doesn't scream production from the receiver position, nothing will. There's no question he'll be up for national postseason honors and accolades (barring injury) at the conclusion of this upcoming year. 

Artavis Scott

Artavis Scott is as explosive as any player on this list. 

The Florida native was exceptional as a true freshman last year. He finished with 965 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions. Much of Scott's effectiveness came from his versatility. He was lined up at multiple spots within the offense.

Scott's ability to score in myriad ways makes him special. Not only can he catch deep passes down the field, but he's also incredibly adept at taking a five-yard pass and turning it into a huge play with his elusiveness in the open field. 

Scott also demonstrated a penchant for taking jet sweeps to the house on multiple occasions. 

Sterling Shepard

Sterling Shepard returns in 2015 as one of the top receivers in the country. He was plagued by the injury bug last year. When healthy, however, he's a handful to deal with. 

Statistically, he averaged 19.0 yards per reception in 2014, and 862 of his 970 receiving yards last year occurred in only six games—including a 215-yard effort versus TCU and a 197-yard performance against Kansas State. 

Terrific in space, Shepard routinely makes defenders miss with his agility. He's also speedy enough to get behind the opposing defense and make big plays. Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley's pass-happy offense should be a perfect match for Shepard's skill set.

Mike Williams

Mike Williams is Clemson's unquestioned deep-threat option.

The athletic receiver out of South Carolina uses his 6'4" frame to effectively ward off defenders. His overall speed is also something to behold, as evidenced by an 18.1 yards-per-catch average in 2014. Williams' ability to make the difficult catches look easy is quite spectacular, as shown in the video above. 

Although the Tigers have a deep receiving corps, Williams should be extremely effective this season. He'll consistently provide Deshaun Watson with a big-play target.

Nick Wilson

STEVE DYKES/Associated Press

Wilson had a great freshman year for the Wildcats.

Nick Wilson was a revelation for Rich Rodriguez and the Arizona Wildcats in 2014. 

As a true freshman, the Fresno native rushed for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns. Wilson was consistent throughout the season—a rarity for a young player. 

In his first collegiate game, he rumbled 85 yards for a touchdown. Throughout the season, he was able to accrue gains of 75 and 72 yards. Versus a staunch Utah defense, he rushed for 218 yards. The following week against rival Arizona State, Wilson ran for 178 more. 

His combination of vision and speed makes him one of the more dynamic backs in the Pac-12.